If I Die Young
by Mythian
Summary: With one last flare of defiance, Korra stood, alone, against the spirit's rage, shooting a stream of fire into its face. It crashed into her, sending sea foam rocketing skyward, and they both disappeared beneath the surface, leaving no trace of the previous battle, just a calm, eerie nothingness. *Companion/prequel piece to "Nevermore"*


Disclaimer: _Avatar: The Last Airbender _and _The Legend of Korra _are property of Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. As much as I would like to, I cannot and do not claim any sort of authorship, ownership, or "melon lordship" over the characters, plot, etc.

*I'd like to thank my beta reader and dear friend, Rashka, for taking the time to proofread this piece. Thanks, Rashka!

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The speed boat raced quickly across the ocean's unusually smooth surface. Avatar Korra glared at the open sea in front of her and reached to brush at a tear that had slid down her face.

General Iroh had suggested she seek help from the Fire Nation, from his mother the Firelord and Zuko. She prayed Zuko's relationship with the previous Avatar would fall in her favor. The Fire Nation had proved to be valuable allies since the time following the Hundred Year War. Unalaq would have hell to pay when the Fire Nation landed upon the shores of her homeland.

Fire... Damn it. Damn him. Didn't Mako understand anything? Didn't he understand her? Obviously not, for he had taken her heart in his hand and shattered it, turning the broken pieces into ashes. She wiped at another tear as it slipped down her cheek.

Lost in her thoughts and intent upon her destination, she hadn't noticed that she was being pursued.

A stream of water streaked past her line of sight and she turned to see two figures on jet skis not far behind. Desna and Eska. Of course. She should have known her uncle would be hunting her.

"You ruined my wedding!" Eska shouted, slapping a wave of water at the boat.

Korra swerved sideways, dodging her cousin's attack and returning a shot of her own. The twins leaped from their jet skis. Gliding across the surface, they drew alongside the watercraft.

"No one steals my Bolin!" Eska screamed as she leaped skyward, twirled, and summoned forth water whips which she then used to slice the boat in half. Korra flew several feet through the air before diving into the waves. She swam below the surface for several moments before rising upward on a water spout and launching bands of fire at each of the twins in turn. They skillfully skirted her attacks, and Eska shot a stream of water into Korra's face.

Shifting from water into air and back to water once more, Korra expanded the spout outward, overtaking the twins who suddenly fell back, ceasing their pursuit. They stared at her with wild yet terrified looks. Korra decreased the height of the spout, intent on addressing her attackers. Suddenly, she felt a great tremble beneath the waves.

The dark spirit rose from the depths, its face illuminated with rage, limbs flailing wildly against the clouded sky.

Korra looked on in a fleeting moment of horror, as the spirit whipped a barbed tentacle in her direction. She leaped away and the limb slapped across the surface as she conjured a water spout, intent on giving herself a better vantage point. Before she could do that, Korra felt the bitter sting of the spirit's tentacle as it came smashing into her back. A wretched scream ripped its way through her throat as she fell into the churning waves. Moments later, her eyes began to glow with the strength from the Avatar state and she rose upward. Facing her attacker once more, she called forth the spirit mist she had watched her uncle bend while trying to soothe spirits in the South. Her arms moved in swift circular motions as the golden ribbon of light crept slowly upward, glowing and shimmering against the spirit's dark form. Abruptly, the spirit shook itself free and with a great roar, unfurled its massive maw, reared backward then lunged toward the Avatar. With one last flare of defiance, Korra stood, alone, against the spirit's rage, shooting a stream of fire into its face. It crashed into her, sending sea foam rocketing skyward, and they both disappeared beneath the surface, leaving no trace of the previous battle, just a calm, eerie nothingness.

Korra fought hard to free herself from the spirit's grasp. It was no use. The spirit wrapped its ebony tentacles tighter around her frame, pulling her farther downward.

The twins, Eska and Desna, had fled, probably back to the North to report her death to their father. She lamented the loss of the relationship she would never have, yet had always secretly hoped for, with her cousins. There was no malice in her feelings toward them, nor did she begrudge them for fleeing the dark spirit when they had the chance. Rather, she hoped that someday they, too, might know peace and love and happiness. Perhaps her death could help with that.

Her mother and father's faces swam before her, and she was thankful to have made peace with her family, especially her father, before she'd left her southern home. Better they be parted on good terms than bad at least. Still, her heart ached at the thought of her parents' grief over her death.

She would never see them again. Not in this lifetime at least.

They, along with her friends, would wait for her on some far away, lost and distant shore. And her heart ached, for she knew their waiting would be meaningless. She was never coming back. Her body would never be found. She would forever rest upon the ocean floor, lulled into an eternal slumber by the ebb and flow of the tides.

She would miss them all. And yet she found a slight contentment with the knowledge that they had one another. They would live on. Safe. Alive. Together.

There was sharp, searing pain, and she winced as blood trickled from the wound on her back. She was surrounded by a sort of hollow emptiness and the silence echoed across the undertow as Avatar and spirit sank down, down into the abyss.

She looked upward to see the sun piercing through the depths. With the last of her energy, Korra conjured a flame, a rich golden orb which she protected within a whirl of air. She held it close to her heart, relishing the warmth and comfort it brought. Staring into the fire she called forth the last face she would remember. Tears flowed from her eyes and mixed with the salt of the sea. He would mourn her death, what could have, no, what should have been their future together.

She had been foolish.

_Forgive me._

Despite her sadness, Korra found she was unafraid. After all, death was only the beginning, or so Tenzin had often said during his many fruitless attempts to help her establish a true and lasting connection with her spiritual self. Who was she to dispute the more spiritual aspects of life?

If there was one lesson she had taken from her time with the airbending master it was that in spite of her death, she would live on. Her legacy would continue with the birth of the new Avatar. Life after life and soul after soul she would be reborn, just as her predecessors had again been born into their successors, as Aang had been born anew into her. No, the line would not end here. Not yet. The world needed its Avatar.

Perhaps this next life wouldn't be so bad…

She would see them all again. Someday. After all, life was cruel, but it wasn't heartless.

Extinguishing the flame, Korra closed her eyes and exhaled, comforted by the familiar embrace of her mother element, as she melted away into darkness.

End.

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Author's Note: So many feels over the last week. All of that supposed death and dying and broken hearts and such. Right in the feels, man. I had to do something with them. Yes, I realize that as of "The Sting" Korra has washed up alive and "well" upon the shores of the Fire Nation/Avatar Roku's Island (I think); however, I just had to get some more of those death and despair feels out. I'm sure you understand.

I received several requests to continue the one-shot "Nevermore," and I am honored at the feedback that has been left. Truly, thank you. That piece was intended as a stand-alone piece where Korra really does die in the dark spirit attack, and I didn't feel as though I would do it justice by writing additional chapters for it. However, I did see the potential in a sort of prequel or companion piece, hence this story here. I am toying with the idea of creating an additional chapter fic to sort of expand on and follow the show's current storyline.

Title inspired by The Band Perry's "If I Die Young." I heard the _Glee_ version of the song by Naya Rivera and fell in love with it.

Thank you for reading!


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